Belgium

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It's All Greek to Miss Belgium
It's All Greek to Miss Belgium
Dec 17, 2007 2:28 PM CST

It's All Greek to Miss Belgium

Beauty queen is no Dutch treat; caretaker PM tries to mend government

(Newser) - The new Miss Belgium sparked fury in Flanders this weekend with her admission that she doesn't speak Dutch, AFP reports. In a country already torn over the Flemish-French conflict that's derailed the government for months, 20-year-old Alizee Poulicek's attempt to speak the language of the country's majority was met with...

6 Months After Losing, He Still Runs Belgium

After stalemate, 'outgoing' PM may head emergency government

(Newser) - Six months after he was defeated in inconclusive elections in June, Guy Verhofstadt is still Belgium's "outgoing" prime minister—and might end up leading a new government. Verhofstadt has met with the king twice and now will try to head a provisional coalition of French and Flemish parties, the...

PM-Elect Quits As Belgian Crisis Deepens

Kingdom edges nearer to split as Leterme walks out

(Newser) - Belgians awoke today to a fresh political crisis: last night Yves Leterme, the putative PM-elect of last summer's inconclusive elections, abandoned his attempts to form a coalition. Leterme submitted his resignation to the king after an ultimatum issued to other party leaders fell on deaf ears, the Observer reports, and...

Belgian Monks Balance Brewing and Benediction

'Insatiable' thirst complicates simple life

(Newser) - A Belgian monastery is struggling to balance the growing global craving for Westvleteren, the "holy grail of beers," with its devout way of life, the Wall Street Journal reports. Customers are limited to two cases per month of the St. Sixtus brew, which the monks neither label nor...

Who Needs a Government? Not Belgium

Country has no PM 149 days after elections; foreign policy on hold

(Newser) - Belgium marks a record 149 days without government today, and the binational kingdom is still mired in protracted coalition talks. It's the most serious political crisis in the nation's history, and yet Belgians are growing used to the situation, the Telegraph reports. "If they are not careful they will...

Flemish Recycling Runs to Chicken Feed

Flanders pioneers pay-as-you-dispose policy, reuse centers

(Newser) - The Belgian region of Flanders is attracting international attention with novel recycling schemes that include reuse centers, pay-per-bag garbage collection, and omnivorous chickens. The Russians, the Chinese and the British have come calling to see how Flanders has managed to hold its total waste generation steady even as its population...

Franco-Flemish Split Widens in Belgium

66% of Belgians believe the nation will break apart sooner or later

(Newser) - Tensions in Belgium over whether the country should be split in half have reached a crescendo, with 3-month-old elections still unsettled and Flemish separatist politicians calling for a divorce, the New York Times reports. "We are two different nations with nothing in common except a king, chocolate, and beer,...

With No New Government, Belgium Edges Towards Split

Still no compromise 3 months after election

(Newser) - It's been 3 months since Belgians went to the polls, and their binational kingdom still has no government. Yves Leterme, the winner of June's elections, has been unable to form a coalition in parliament. Now the king has been forced to step in, and the perennial question of whether Belgium...

US Laborers Work Hard for the Money

New UN report says Americans more productive than peers

(Newser) - Labor Day is a well-deserved rest for Americans, as a new UN report shows US laborers work longer, harder, and get more done than their counterparts worldwide. The average US worker produces the most wealth, raking in $63,885 yearly, followed by Irish laborers at $55,986. Only Norway beat...

DNA From Café Does Not Match Missing Maddy

Sighting in Belgium leads to cold trail; search continues

(Newser) - DNA taken from a bottle found at a Belgian café is not missing British 4-year-old Madeleine McCann's, say local police. Tests were ordered after a child therapist said she was "100% sure" she saw the girl sitting with an English-speaking woman and a Dutch man in his 40s whose...

Belgians Test DNA After Maddy Sighting

Restaurant patron spots child resembling missing 4-year-old

(Newser) - Belgian authorities have taken DNA from a bottle after a child therapist said she was “100% sure” she’d spotted Madeline McCann, who has been missing for exactly 3 months. The Guardian reports that the child was seen with a Dutch man and English-speaking woman at a restaurant. The...

Native Son Takes Belgian Stage in Tour

Steegmans earns second-leg victory at home

(Newser) - Belgian Gert Steegmans pedaled to an easy victory in Stage 2 of this year's Tour, crossing the finish line in Gand, Belgium, in just over 3 hours and 48 minutes. Most weren't so lucky: The 104.7 mile trek captured much of the peleton—including yellow-jersey holder Fabian Cancellara—in...

Swift Boater Gets Recess Appointment

Bush slips three controversial conservatives past Senate

(Newser) - President Bush doled out three major recess appointments yesterday to  conservatives Democrats found distasteful. Ambassador to Belgium went to Sam Fox, a top-tier donor to Republican causes including Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the 527 that sank John Kerry’s shot at the White House.

Miners Dig for Gold in Belgian Museum
Miners Dig for Gold in Belgian Museum
Mar 20, 2007 11:33 AM CDT

Miners Dig for Gold in Belgian Museum

A collection of colonial-era maps of the Congo draws mining firms to musty stacks

(Newser) - A Belgian museum filled with stacks of faded geological maps of the Congo—a former colony—has become an unlikely mecca for mining companies searching for new deposits. With prices soaring and on-site exploration impeded by armed militias, drillers are eager to shell out hefty research fees to the Royal...

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